The present invention relates to a method for managing a derailment of a guided ground vehicle traveling on a track, the track comprising an electric contact rail for supplying electricity to the vehicle via the ground, the rail including a plurality of electrical circuits, each electrical circuit being connected to at least one electric switching member.
The method is implemented by an onboard device within the vehicle, the device including detecting means for detecting the derailment of the ground vehicle and processing means connected to the detecting means, the vehicle including generating means for generating a control signal for controlling the or one of the electric switching member(s) connected to the or one of the electrical circuits positioned across from the ground vehicle, to close said electrical circuit, the generating means being connected to the processing means.
The method includes a step for detecting, by the detecting means, the derailment of the ground vehicle.
A guided vehicle refers to a vehicle guided either by the contact rail, or by the running rails of the vehicle, or guided freely by a driver to position the vehicle above a contact rail. A derailment refers to the fact that the vehicle is derailed or out of alignment relative to the contact rail.
The present invention also relates to a guided ground vehicle able to travel on a track, the vehicle including a device for managing a derailment of the vehicle implementing such a method.
The present invention also relates to a set including a plurality of such guided ground vehicles.
The field of the invention is that of guided ground vehicles, in particular that of tramways intended to travel on railroad tracks in urban areas.
A method is known for managing a derailment of a guided ground vehicle traveling on a track. The track comprises an electrical contact rail powering the vehicle through the ground. The rail includes several electrical circuits, each electrical circuit being connected to at least one electric switching member. At any time, at least one of the electrical circuits positioned across from the vehicle is closed, allowing electricity to be conducted within that circuit. If the vehicle derails, the driver of the vehicle presses a member actuating an emergency brake of the vehicle. However, such a management method using “manual” derailment detection is not reliable. In fact, the driver of the vehicle may have been injured and/or rendered unconscious following the derailment, the driver then becoming unable to press the actuating member.
To solve this problem, known from document EP 2,253,523 A1 is a railroad vehicle including a device for managing a derailment of the vehicle implementing a method of the aforementioned type. The detecting means for detecting the derailment include a member measuring a distance between a braking device of the vehicle and one of the rails of the track. The method includes, following the step for detecting the derailment, a step for activating an alarm and/or an emergency brake if the measured distance is outside a predetermined safety range.
However, in the case of a guided ground vehicle powered electrically via the ground, the implementation of such a method may not address certain risks that arise in the event of derailment.